Tag: Miscellany Page 50 of 175

WWW Wednesday, December 20, 2023

By

On December 20, 2023

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

I almost didn’t get any reading done yesterday, a very uncommon event. I did find myself early to something, so I was able to read most of the inaugural issue of Grimdwarf Magazine, and I can see this becoming a regular part of my reading rotation.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that the other day as I was packing to go to work, I grabbed the Guards! Guards! and put it in my coat pocket. I can’t remember the last Mass Market Paperback I read. It’s so convenient! I love a good hardcover, and ebooks are so essential now. But wow…I miss MMPs. We need a resurgence of them.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, and am shaking my head at how I stopped reading this series years ago. My current audiobook is the haunting The Curator by by M.W. Craven, John Banks (Narrator) on audiobook.

Guards! Guards!Blank SpaceThe Curator

What did you recently finish reading?

The last book I finished was Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire, I talked it up yesterday. The fascinating, entertaining, and often convincing, Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland, narrated by the author and several others was my last audiobook.

Alexandra Petri's US HistoryBlank SpaceLike, Literally, Dude

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be The Mayors of New York by S. J. Rozan (I am so looking forward to it) and my next audiobook should be Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison, Kristen Sieh (Narrator).

The Mayors of New YorkBlank SpaceSuch Sharp Teeth

Are you reading anything that’s making this holiday season happy? Or are you preparing to air a grievance?

MUSIC MONDAY: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love

By

On December 18, 2023

In News/Misc.

Music Monday
Music Monday’s originated at The Tattooed Book Geek‘s fantastic blog and has shown up here and there since then.

The Irresponsible Reader Metallica Logo

REPOST with an Update: Some of the Guidance I Received on Giving Terry Pratchett Another Try

By

On December 18, 2023

In Humor, Miscellany

I’ve decided to postpone today’s post…I’d finish a paragraph and think of two or three more I needed to write. Which I think will prove to make me happier about the end result, but I have to get some sleep. So…let’s take another look at this, with a quick update at the end.

Last week, I asked for some advice on where I should start with Discworld books, since my attempts with reading The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic didn’t really leave me wanting more.

I received some good input, and thought I’d pass some of it along (if only so there’s a central location for me to come back to later for reference).

The overall consensus was that I picked a couple of bad ones to start with. But beyond that,

bullet Mike Finn (you should read his blog, by the way), said (in part):

Here’s the best map I know of for showing the reading order of the various Discworld subgroups.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0_(cropped)

My favourites are the Watch novels and the Witches novels.
The Watch novels start with Guards! Guards!
The Witches novels start with Equal Rites.

If you read those two and still don’t like Pratchett then he’s probably not for you.

bullet K.R.R. Lockhaven (you should read his books, by the way) admitted:

I…um…have to admit that I haven’t actually read ALL of them. Most, though. I’m partial to the City Watch books, starting with Guards! Guards! Maybe Small Gods would be good, too. It’s a standalone.

bullet Lockhaven also pointed me to Fiction Fans podcast’s “Bonus Episode: Which Discworld Book Should You Read First?” It was an interesting chat–the episode notes include:

They… don’t really give a straight answer. But they DO know which book you should NOT read first. You’re welcome.

Possible First Reads:
Wyrd Sisters (if you like witches)
Reaper Man (if you like Death)
Small Gods (if you want a good standalone with religious satire)
Hogfather (if you like Christmas)
Monstrous Regiment (if you want a good standalone with scathing social commentary)
Going Postal (if you like con artists)

bullet wyrdsis (an account name that suggests they might know a thing or two about the series), chimed in with:

…I got really into it with the Witches (starting with Equal Rites), and Ankh Morpork City Watch (starting with Guards! Guards!), then Hogfather, Thief of Time, The Truth, the von Lipwig series….etc

bullet David Frew sent me to

A DISCWORLD PRIMER*

*or, why should I read this thing that everyone keeps going on about?

by Micah @rincewind.run (another account name that suggests they might know a thing or two about the series).
bullet Gary Hayenga chipped in:

The first two novels are very different than the subsequent novels. As the previous commenter mentioned there are several sub-series set on the Discworld. Based on the other things you’ve posted about liking here I would recommend that you start with The Watch series, starting with Guards! Guards!. The second book in that series is even better.

I’m about 1/3 of my way through Guards! Guards! and I think I might be seeing what everyone else sees in Pratchett. Or maybe I’m seeing something else, maybe I’m still learning. Regardless, I am having a blast. I’m re-reading passages just for fun, or because I think I might have missed a joke because I was distracted by another. I know that I’ve read the passage where Carrot’s father tells him he’s not a dwarf more times than is necessary. But I kind of want to go read it again now that I’ve mentioned it.

Thank you all for your help, I think it’s paying off!

Saturday Miscellany—12/16/23

By

On December 16, 2023

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Late again…but I have a good excuse. I was meeting a prospective/probable new member of the household, a sweet lab/boxer mix. So…this takes a back seat.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet On the Difficulty of Giving Books as Gifts
bullet The Most Scathing Book Reviews of 2023—from BookMarks. I’m feeling much better about all my negative reviews.
bullet The best book covers of 2023 are the ones you’ll never see: The most interesting book cover designs are often left on the cutting room floor.
bullet 10 Things We Learned in 20 Years of Writing Mysteries—from the writers behind “Cleo Coyle”
bullet Ian [Rankin]’s end of year round-up: 2023
bullet Kevin Hearne also posted a Year-end roundup
bullet FALL BACK TO READING SERIES – Featuring Lee Goldberg—Goldberg shares Non-Fiction and Fiction recommendations
bullet The Biggest Literary Stories of the Year: 50 to 31—(at least according to LitHub)
bullet How about some more Year-End Best Of lists? (in no particular order). Several of my TBR reads are here and not enough things that I have read are, oh and the TBR has been made longer by these, too.
bullet CrimeReads’ The Best Crime Novels of 2023—Some great ones here (and in the Honorable Mentions!)
bullet The 139 Best Book Covers of 2023
bullet My Ten Favourite Reads of 2023—from Grab This Book
bullet FanFiAddict’s The Bookwyrm’s Best Reads of 2023
bullet Also from CrimeReads, The Best Debut Novels of 2023
bullet Also from FanFiAddict, Charlies Top Reads of 2023
bullet Top Five Powerful Books I Read In 2023—Stephen continues his trend of categorizing his lists in the best way
bullet And one more from FanFiAddict, Lord TBR’s Top Reads of 2023
bullet Rethinking the End of Year Book List—What better way to follow those up than with a reconsideration of the idea?
bullet How do You Measure a Year in Reading?—I’ve read this a couple of times now, and will probably do it a couple of more
bullet Maybe the Greatest Fantasy Standalones Ever—Not content with just looking at 2023, Peat Long tackles the Entirety of Human History
bullet Ideas For 2023 Book Gifts—for the second week in a row, I’m starting on the same topic I began on. I’d like to say I’m clever enough to keep this up, but we all know better.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet Fully Booked Best Middle-Grade Books of 2023 with Zach Weinersmith—before digging into Kirkus Review’s Best Middle Grade books of the year, the episode features a chat with Weinersmith about Bea Wolf, Beowulf, and MG books in general. I really enjoyed this one

Bookstore Sign reading, Book Math: Buying the series means you really only bought 1 book

WWW Wednesday, December 13, 2023

By

On December 13, 2023

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Hopefully this isn’t the only thing I post today, but I’m having trouble wording, y’know?

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading (and frequently enjoying) Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up) by Alexandra Petri and the ARC for Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire. I’m also listening to Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane, Jonathan Davis (Narrator) on audiobook.

Alexandra Petri's US HistoryBlank SpaceMislaid in Parts Half-KnownBlank SpaceGone, Baby, Gone

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Ausma Zehanat Khan’s Blood Betrayal—a very solid sequel—and Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire, Emily Bauer (Narrator) on audio. I liked it more the second time around.

Blood BetrayalBlank SpaceImaginary Numbers

What do you think you’ll read next?

On the advice of some of you, my next book should be Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. I think I’ll try Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland, narrated by the author and several others as my next audiobook.

Guards! Guards!Blank SpaceLike, Literally, Dude

What’s grabbing your attention now?

MUSIC MONDAY: Spidey Bells

By

On December 11, 2023

In News/Misc.

Music Monday
Music Monday’s originated at The Tattooed Book Geek‘s fantastic blog and has shown up here and there since then.

The Irresponsible Reader Metallica Logo

Saturday Miscellany—12/9/23

By

On December 9, 2023

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I typically like to start these with an introduction of sorts (probably because I read too many recipe blogs and think I need to begin everything with a rambling essay), but I can’t think of anything to say today.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet The pages of life keep turning—awwww
bullet My Year in Reading Children’s Books
bullet Rereading My Childhood: Author Timothy C. Baker examines how our childhood reading shapes our memories and the way we see the world.
bullet What better way to follow up three pieces about Children’s Books than with The Enduring Appeal of Murder and Mystery: A Brief History
bullet S.A. Cosby was on The Daily Show this week, which is just cool to see.
bullet #R3COMM3ND3D2023 The After Show Party—a good wrap-up of the series that has been called “the highlight of your bookish year.”
bullet It’s that time of year, “Best Of” List Season. Here are a few that got my attention. I either agree with at least one thing on each of these lists (or added at least one book to my list from them)
bullet The Best Reviewed Fiction of 2023—from Lit Hub’s BookMarks
bullet The Best Fantasy Books of 2023—from Paste magazine (didn’t realize they cared about Fantasy books, but it’s a good list)
bullet The 38 Best Books We Read in 2023: Lit Hub Staffers on the Year’s Best Reading Experiences
bullet FanFi Addict brings us: DB Rook’s Top Reads of 2023
bullet Ed’s Top Reads of 2023
bullet Top 12 Favorite Books of 2023—from John Mauro at Before We Go Blog
bullet My Top 10 Reads of 2023!!!—from Out of This World SFF
bullet The End of All Stories: Bidding a Fond Farewell to The Great C.S. Lewis Reread—I didn’t read this series as faithfully as I could have, but I thought it was a great idea that was frequently executed well (except from when Mikalatos was just wrong in his opinions, obviously).
bullet What’s The Best Book In A Trilogy Edition One – Tolkien, Feist/Wurts, Barker, Eddings, Lackey, De Bodard—I enjoyed the approach to this piece (have only read 2 of these trilogies, but I agree with the rankings). My gut says this conclusion is where I’d land, but I should probably try this myself.
bullet Beginner’s Guide to Fantasy—how to get started—I always enjoy pieces like this. If only for the good recommendations they bring for non-beginners like me and/or reminders of books I haven’t thought of in too long
bullet On Fantasy and Whores—yeah, a Peat Long twofer this week. I’d honestly never thought about this before, and probably should’ve
bullet Let’s start on the same topic we started on with It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas: Picture Book Edition 2023—they’re all (or mostly all) a bit too old for Grandpappy’s Corner, but not for long. I anticipate adding many of these to my shelves soon.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet Meet the Writers talked to Kevin Jon Davies about 42: The Wildly Improbable Ideas of Douglas Adams and the man himself
bullet Functional Nerds Episode 604-With Alex Bledsoe—a fun chat about his new short story collection and more
bullet Crime Time FM MATT PHILLIPS In Person With Paul —not only a great talk about A Good Rush of Blood but their discussion about the essence of noir is great.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet The Mayors of New York by S.J. Rozan—because I needed a fresh reason to not finish my reading plans for 2023, Bill Smith and Lydia Chin hunt for the runaway son of NYC’s mayor.
bullet Murder Crossed Her Mind by Stephen Spotswood—In their latest, Parker and Pentecost are also hunting a mising person in NYC.

As winter approaches, be sure to prepare by always having betwee 3-168 new books on hand at any given time. @BecauaseAllTheBooks

Opening Lines: The Last Dance by Mark Billingham

By

On December 8, 2023

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art and we all do judge them that way). But, the opening sentence(s)/paragraph(s) are fair game. So, when I stumble on a good opening (or remember one and pull it off the shelves), I like to throw it up here. This one characterizes so much of this book–good, solid detective/procedural kind of writing, served up with a perfectly off-kilter line that doesn’t belong there, but improves the whole thing so much that it actually has to be there.

from The Last Dance by Mark Billingham:

The coloured lights from more than a million lamps seem to dance above the town’s main street and their reflections shimmer on the surface of the black sea just beyond. On the street itself, a thousand neon signs dazzle and buzz and the slow-moving traffic has become a pulsating necklace of red and white beads. To the casual observer, gazing down from the top of the Tower perhaps, or from a penthouse apartment in one of the expensive blocks that have sprung up in recent years, this might be Las Vegas.

If that casual observer really squinted.

And had never been to Las Vegas.

Opening Lines Logo

WWW Wednesday, December 6, 2023

By

On December 6, 2023

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

I can’t think of anything to blather on about today, so we might was well get right to the point:

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading The Last Dance by Mark Billingham, my first, but not last book by Billingham. I’m listening to the short story collection, Give the People What They Want and Other Stories of Sharp Wit, Cunning Women, and Wild Magic by Alex Bledsoe, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, with Alex Bledsoe and Gabrielle de Cuir on audiobook.

The Last DanceBlank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Lee Child and Andrew Child’s The Secret, the last Reacher novel I’ll read for a while. The last audiobook I listened to was The Ghosts of Sherwood by Carrie Vaughn, Angele Masters (Narrator) on audio, a quick blast of fun.

The SecretBlank SpaceThe Ghosts of Sherwood

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up) by Alexandra Petri , because I need a dose of humor after some of the dark stuff I’ve been reading lately (also, I was next on my library’s list), and my next audiobook should be Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire, Emily Bauer (Narrator).

Alexandra Petri's US HistoryBlank SpaceImaginary Numbers

Are you reading/listening to something good?

MUSIC MONDAY: Call It What You Will by Joe Pug

By

On December 4, 2023

In News/Misc.

Music Monday
Music Monday’s originated at The Tattooed Book Geek‘s fantastic blog and has shown up here and there since then.
1. Sure, it would’ve been more apropos to post this song yesterday, but then it wouldn’t be Monday, right?

  1. Yes, he mispronounces “Spokane.” Yes, it drives me bonkers. The rest of the lines make up for it.

The Irresponsible Reader Metallica Logo

Page 50 of 175

Previous

Next

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén